Gov. Paterson Undergoes Glaucoma Operation

After releasing an early morning statement saying that Governor David Paterson had checked himself in to The Mount Sinai Medical Center for migraine-like symptoms, his office explained that Paterson is undergoing a procedure to treat acute glaucoma in his left eye.

The governor, who turned 54 on Tuesday, will remain conscious throughout the procedure and it should not have a long-term impact on his overall health, said spokeswoman Risa Heller. Read both statements in full plus more on Paterson's medical history after the jump.

The am statement:

At approximately 11:30 a.m. Governor David A. Paterson was diagnosed with acute glaucoma in his left eye. The Governor is being attended by Dr. John Danias, an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Mount Sinai Medical Center and an expert in glaucoma. The Governor is now undergoing an iridotomy, a routine, outpatient laser procedure to relieve pressure on that eye. The operation will not have any long-term impact on the Governor’s overall health. The Governor will remain conscious throughout the procedure, but in an abundance of caution, the Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker were advised of this pursuant to standard protocol.

The pm statement:

Earlier this morning Governor Paterson experienced migraine like symptoms. He asked to be brought to The Mount Sinai Medical Center for an evaluation. He was evaluated and all preliminary tests were normal. He is now resting comfortably and will undergo further tests during the course of the day.

Paterson's health has been a concern in recent years, and he has been hospitalized at least twice before.

Last July, when he was lieutenant governor, Paterson fainted on an airplane on his way to Buffalo. He was briefly hospitalized and the following day had an angiogram at Mount Sinai, which was normal. Doctors said they found no evidence of heart disease.

In April 2006, when he was state Senate minority leader, Paterson was admitted to a hospital with chest pain and underwent tests, including a CT scan, cardiovascular stress test and echocardiogram. The tests came back normal and he was released after about 12 hours.

At the time, a Paterson spokesman said he had no history of heart trouble. A recreational basketball player who is legally blind, Paterson has run the New York City Marathon.